ROLAND GARROS

June 10, 2023

Yaroslav Demin

Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez

Press Conference

DEMIN-MENDEZ/Sciahbasi-Vulpitta

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Yaroslav and Rodrigo, congratulations. You won a tournament last week in Milano, I think. Now you're Grand Slam champions. Can you talk about your feelings and how happy you are with this win.

YAROSLAV DEMIN: Yeah, thank you so much. Something crazy to win exactly this tournament at Roland Garros, because last year I was playing definitely not good here. I lost first round doubles and second round singles.

After my singles here, I decide to win the doubles here with my doubles partner, because we lost at the same day (smiling).

We was top seeds, and we should play well singles, but it is what it is, and we are so happy with doubles title.

RODRIGO PACHECO MENDEZ: Yeah, first off, so happy to be here. This place is amazing, the feelings. Won a Grand Slam is so important for all of us, for Yaroslav and for me. When we start to play tennis, everyone has a dream to win a Grand Slam.

Now we can say that we are doubles slam champions. Now it's gonna come a lot of good things. I hope so.

And, yeah, we came from Milan. Also we won doubles. It was tough for me, because I was first seed at singles and I won in Milan, so I was one of the favorites to win in singles, but things happen and I lost in first round and the other guy play much better than me. But at the beginning was tough, because I was so sad because the dream of Grand Slam, it was like done. But then I saw in the doubles that let's change that, no?

Then with Yaroslav, we lost the same day, and we were so motivated to conquer this big tournament, Roland Garros. Now we complete it. So I'm so happy about all the performance during all the week. At least it was at the beginning we were so sad, but then we finish with very happy. Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Well done. Thank you very much. Any questions?

Q. Hi. Congrats, guys. What were, according to you, the keys to your success today and throughout the tournament?

YAROSLAV DEMIN: Can you repeat the question, please?

Q. Sure. I said what were, according to you, the keys that led to your success today and throughout the tournament?

YAROSLAV DEMIN: Because we have a good team who prepare us, and my coach, Gabriel Urpi, who was coach of Mahut, and we have a good doubles keys to play. We make a good exercise together. We both motivate like crazy. So that's why.

RODRIGO PACHECO MENDEZ: Also, I think that Yaroslav has really good potential at the net and in the return, so that help me so much because I'm not too good at the net as him. Maybe my serve and my baseline is a little bit better than his baseline, I don't know. We are same level, and he's a great player also. So that's like the mix of both of those shots, it makes us very difficult to beat, because we are always like one step in front of the other players.

Since the beginning, we were serving so good, and in the return we were much solid and better. I think we always start like breaking at the beginning of the matches, so for the other guys is very difficult to keep playing like that.

Q. Congratulations. I would like to know who is your idol, if you have one, and what is your biggest dream? If you close your eyes and you have to dream big, what you dream about of.

YAROSLAV DEMIN: Oh, my idol, of course, Rafa Nadal, because I'm practicing in Rafa Nadal Academy, and not because of this, as well, because I practice with him many times and I see him in person so many times, as well. He's like super nice, super chill, and so focused on court. So I like him.

My dream of course it's to win here singles men's. Of course to be here already, not both, but I hope one time we also win a doubles champions in men's, but for now, I hope singles as well. Yeah.

RODRIGO PACHECO MENDEZ: Yeah, my idol is also Rafa Nadal. I'm lefty like him. My game style is not like him but it's kind of. So he's my idol.

And my biggest dream of course is win a Grand Slam and be top-10 player in the world at men's singles level. I think is we need to do hard work, but we have the potential to be there in very soon, or I don't know, but we need to come and just practicing too to be there.

Q. What is coming next for you guys? What are your expectations in the future?

YAROSLAV DEMIN: Coming next, Wimbledon. The grass season now is coming. I hope, I will speak with my doubles partner (smiling) because I sign with another guy, but we will see. I might play with him. But we will talk about that. Yeah, Wimbledon.

RODRIGO PACHECO MENDEZ: Thank you, Yaroslav. Thank you (smiling).

Yeah, next week for me is vacation. I need. Has been five weeks here in Europe doing a lot of tournaments, a lot of matches, good results, not too good. Then focus in grass season. I mean, the grass season is very funny. This will be my second time playing in grass. For me it's like game is not too focused because I don't know how to play still.

But, yeah, I hope to play with Yaroslav again in doubles. I mean, he's the best partner I have ever had and will have in the world probably.

YAROSLAV DEMIN: So nice. I also love you.

RODRIGO PACHECO MENDEZ: But I will focus also in singles, but let's see in grass what's gonna happen.

Q. Congratulations. You have both played I think a little bit of pros as well as juniors. What do you think the main difference is playing juniors and having success at juniors compared to playing pros, playing against the men?

YAROSLAV DEMIN: Yeah, we played now because we are so happy and so thankful for ITF that they make the new rule that the top-10 guys will receive wildcard for challengers, and I used already four, and I feel that it's super interesting to play against pros and super tough as well physically and mentally.

But still, when you play against them, you feel that you have tennis to play. But still you're not enough mentally or physically because in third set is still it's tough to play against pros because they're already more mature and they hit harder. No, not hit harder but they mentally harder, yeah.

RODRIGO PACHECO MENDEZ: Yeah, same as Yaroslav said. We are so happy about the new rule, and I have been playing a lot of pro tournaments. At the beginning I had the chance to win two ATP challenger match, and it was so tough and lost in another first round.

But, I mean, the difference between them and us is the mentality. Stronger, the serve, and the return I could say. The important moments they always play good. You need to beat them in important moments and that's the difference.

Sometimes the junior do some mistakes at important moments, and in the pros when they have an important moment, you know that you need to beat them, because they are very prepared and they have too much experience on how to play those points.